Gogoi urges Modi to take up Brahmaputra dam issue with Chinese President

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up the issue of construction of dams on the Brahmaputra River by China with visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Gogoi, in a letter to Prime Minister Modi, said there were serious concerns about the construction of dams by China over the Brahmaputra as it would adversely impact downstream flows.

"It is feared that construction of the dams is likely to trigger fresh concerns on how the flow of Brahmaputra downstream will be affected. It would be most appropriate to convey India's concerns to the visiting Chinese President," Gogoi said.

The Chief Minister also hoped that the visit of the Chinese President would help to deepen trade ties and boost Chinese investment in India, particularly in Assam and other states of the North East Region.

"As the visiting Chinese President is expected to pledge billions of dollars in investment, including plans for Chinese-funded industrial parks, we hope to get a fair share of it in infrastructure and other sectors in Assam," he said.